Photo-acoustic cinematographic apparatus



Dec. 12, 1933. E. w REYNOLDS 1,939,522 I PHOTO-ACOUSTIC CINEMATOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Original Filed March 17, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES: INVENTOR E/Zwaoa lm/Eeyflolds.

I /v BY Dec. 12, 1933. E. w. REYNOLDS 1,939,522

PHOTO- ACOUSTIC CINEMATGGRAPHIC APPARA i 15.

Original Filed March 17, 1950 3 Sheets-$haet INVENTOR Ellwood WRegrw/ds.

ATTORN Dec. 12, 1933. E, w. REYNOLDS PHOTO-ACOUSTIC CINEMATOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Original Filed March 1'7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet O Fi 9.

INVENTOR EZZw'ood h/Regno/os.

ATTORN Y WITNESSES Patented Dec. 12, 1933 l I 9 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHOTO-ACOUSTIC CINEMATOGRAPHXC APPARATUS Ellwood W. Reynolds, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric 8; Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application March 17, 1930, Serial No. 436,552. Divided and this application January 6, 1933. Serial No. 650,375

4 Claims. (Cl. 88-162) My invention relates to photo-acoustic cinedisc and, consequently, renders the machine matographic apparatus and it has particular rerather cumbersome.

lati liln to domesticequipment of this type. Insignificant though it may seem, the matter 1 5 present application is a division of my apof positioning the needle on the disc in such manp 13a ion Serial No. 4 36,552 filed March 17, 1930 nor that the sound is tolerably synchronous with an assigned to Westinghouse Electric and Manthe picture, requires certain perserverance and gig??? Company, assignee of the present has proved an insurmountable difliculty to many 10 an amateur operator. Theconditions and requirements imposed on Finally, the care of the film used in the disc 10 acoust c-cinematographic equipment intended cinematographic machine demands the skill and for home use are by far more numerous and diligence with which only experienced operators stringent than those imposed on theatre appaare equipped. Hence, the permanent ownership ratus. I of favorite films and their corresponding records,

r A theatre machine is ordinarily installed as a a highly desirable institution from the stand- $$$$ESLtfi fniisfiillfifit 5322i "12 ii flilibi and the on the other hand, to have universal popularity, It accordingly, an object of my invention to and hence, to be commercially successful, must provide domestic acoustic-cinematographic aphave universal adaptability. It must, conseparatus wherein the permanent sound record is Moreover, the owner of a domestic machine Another object of myinvention is to provide haaiillzlhgtorplps'tuntyg of still'lltllllilrlg the enterahportable photo-acoustic-cinematographic mauce y suc mac e more conc ine particularl ada tedfcr home use.

25 tinually, and, consequently, more critically, than A still further objer of my invention is to he observes the offering of a theatre machine. provide domestic photo-acoustic-cinematograph- As a result, domestic acoustic-cinematographic ic equipment capable of delivering entertaingggil intriethlg ltafiegizlialleuiof deliizvering better mehrzt oi exce lagiorilally tgotoig1 qutality.

pmen. ore spec ca y s a e i is an obect o! 30 Another consideration that further accentiimy invention to provide photo-acousti c-cineates the rigorous requirement of quality arises matographic apparatus that shall be simple and from the fact that a considerable rental must of light in its structure, comprise a minimum gl gsfiil fg'fgfi 1: 5: 3; 3 Ji l: lgfe ber of parts and be adapted to inexpensive manuexpense 0 facture in large quantities.

35 3: 1150 2 1 t l g that the machine According to my invention, I provide a cinez- 5 e ertous e 9017 upon matographic machine, with acoustic attachment, a rfhcous lizmals p t t f g g wherein certain rotating parts are coaxial and if g i fig 3 8; ig the film is skewed in accordance with the loca- 40 the form of a spiral groove on a wax regi'd that or these parts advantage thus being taken is rotated in synchronism with the projection of the total volume bounding the machine. machine. The numerous difllculties involved in i novel. features that I i (glamour- .the manufacture and operation of a composite Invention are Set on wlt particumachine of this type are obvious larity in the appended claims. The invention 45 By reason 01' the limitations present in the Ptsem however bot}? as to its orgiimzamon and structure of the material involved m the produc its method of operation, together with additional hon of a wax record, the maximum period of objects and advantages thereof, W111 best be uncontinuous performance that can be obtained derstood from the following description of a with a disc machine is ten minutes, However, a specific embodiment, when read in connection ten minute performance requires a sixteen-inch with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view, in perspective, of the equip-'- ment comprising my invention as it appears during operation;

Fig. 2 is a view, in perspective, of an acousticcinematographic machine constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 3 is a view, in side elevation, of the machine, taken in the direction III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view, in side elevation, of the machine taken in the direction IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view, in rear elevation, of the machine;

Fig. 6 is a view in section showing the reels and their support;

Fig. '7 is a view in section taken along line VII--VII of Fig. 4 and showing the film driven flywheel and its associated structure;

Fig. 81s a view, in front elevation, of the film stripper; and

Fig. 9 is a view, in side elevation, of the film stripper.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 comprises a carrying case 1 wherein a photo-acoustic-cinematographic projector 2, together with a powersupply unit 3, an amplifier 4 and a transformer 5, capable of delivering the voltage necessary for a sound-exciting lamp, are disposed. An opening is provided in the carrying case 1 through which an image of the picture contained on the film is projected on a screen 6. The latter, together with a loudspeaker 'l, constitute a separate unit. To facilitate threading of the film, the carrying case is provided with a side door 10, hinged along its lower edge and swingable, under the influence of gravity, to an open position.

The photo-acoustic-cinematographic projector 1.is provided with a cast upright plate 8, whereon the necessary accessories of a projector are disposed, as will be hereinafter described. The upright plate is fastened to a base plate 9 equipped with a plurality of supporting studs 11, certain of which are provided with adjusting screws 12 that facilitate the vertical positioning of the picture on the screen.

The picture-projection system is described in detail in a copending application of Mr. C. R. Hanna, Serial No. 441,583, filed April 4, 1930, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. For the present purpose, lt is sufiicient to say that it comprises principally a projection-light source 13 supported on the rear side of the upright plate 8, and an intermittent movement 14, a gate 15 and a'projection lens-housing 16 supported on the front side of the plate 8.

A feed sprocket 17 delivers a film strip 18 from the feeding reel 19 to a loop reservoir 21, from which it is intermittently advanced through the gate 15 into a second loop reservoir 22 by a plurality of claws rigidly supported on a rod 23 that is intermittently actuated, as specifically described in the aforementioned application of C. R. Hanna.

The film. gate 15 is equipped with a plurality of tensioned shoe straps 24 supported on a bracket 25 pivotally mounted on a stud 26 fastened in the plate 8. The straps 24 exert a resilient pressure on the margins of the film 18 and cause it to present, at the picture aperture, a uniform surface that is invariable in its position along the optic axis of the condensing and projection system. The film is illuminated at the aperture by the light from the source 13 which is projected through an opening in the vertical plate and is reflected to the aperture by a vertical mirror 27, the reflecting plane of which is at an angle of 45 to the optic axis.

The sound-exciting system comprises an exciting lamp 28, an optical system and a sound gate 29, all supported on the front side of the upright plate 8.

The film 18 passes under the sound lamp 2% and the telescopic tube 31 of the optical system and is resiliently positioned in the gate 29 by a plurality of tensioned shoe-straps 32, similar in design to those of the picture gate. The straps 32 are supported on a bracket 33 that is pivotally movable relative to the aperture plate of the sound gate 29 by the coaction of a manually operated bell crank lever 34, an eccentric cam 35 and a square cam follower 36.

The telescope tube 31 of the optical system contains a condenser 37, a horizontal slit (not shown) illuminated by the condensed light from the horizontal filament of the exciting lamp and a microscope objective 38 that casts a reduced image of the slit on the film 18. In addition to the telescopetube and its appurtenances, the

optical system includes a simple lens 39, the function of which is to reduce the cross section of the light beam that impinges on the photocell cathode.

As is well known to those skilled in the talkingmotion-picture art, comparatively small irregularities in the speed of a photo-acoustic film, as it passes through the sound. gate, appear as distortions in the sound that tend to give it rather disagreeable characteristics. On the other hand, by reason of the non-uniformity in the shrinkage property of the film, the sprockethole pitch varies over a considerable range for various films, and, consequently, since it is not possible to design a sprocket having a sprockettooth pitch corresponding to all films, sprockets are ordinarily made to correspond in pitch to the smallest film. It follows that the problem of constant film-speed is not solved by merely employing a sprocket rotating at a substantially constant angular velocity, since, by reason of the discrepancy between the tooth pitch and the sprocket-hole pitch, it is ordinarily necessary that the film shall stop and the sprocket shall move relative to it for a certain fraction of the period during which a frame is advanced. The distortion resulting from this relative motion renders the sound exceedingly objectionable.

To overcome these difficulties, I provide a device described ln detail in a copending application of C. R. Hanna and E. H. Greibach, Serial No. 406,847, filed November 18, 1929 and assigned to Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. A sprocket 42 is resiliently mounted on the shaft 43 of the feed sprocket 17, as will presently be described, to advance the film 18 through the sound'gate 29. The yielding connection between the sprocket and the shaft adapts the sprocket teeth to adjust themselves to the sprocket holes and to advance the film at a uniform speed.

However, as the film has a rather small mass per unit length, while the sprocket has a considerable mass, means is provided to increase the efiective inertia of the film, and thus to render it unyielding under the action of the spring-actuated sprocket teeth. The continuance for increasing the inertia of the film comprises a film-driven roller 44, rigidly mounted near one end of a shaft 45, on the other, end of which a flywheel 46 is centrally located.

Since the torque applied by the film to pull the inertia idler and the frictional force preventing the film from moving relative to the idler both increase with the angle of wrap of the film around the roller, it is desirable that this angle shall beas large as the limitations of the apparatus permit. A preferred arrangement for increasing the angle of wrap is shown in the present embodiment of my invention and comprises a roller 4'7 properly disposed between the inertia idler 44 and the sound gate 29.

The resilient sprocket 42 feeds the film 18 into a third loop reservoir 48, whence it'is delivered to a take-up reel 49 by a hold-back sprocket 51 rigidly fastened to the shaft 43 of the feed sprockets and rotatable therewith. It is to be noted that, as the three sprockets are coaxial, the film must pass under the first feed sprocket, over the second feed sprocket and un-:

der the hold-back sprocket. As the first feed sprocket 1'7 and the hold-back sprocket 51 are interposed between the reels 19 and 49 and the remaining mechanisms and tend to regulate the speed of the film 18 as it is removed from the feeding reel 19 and as it is wound on the takeup reel 49, they are customarily termed insulating sprockets.

The film strip 18 is retained in engagement with the sprockets by a plurality of pads 68 eccentrically mounted on a shaft 69. Each pad 68 is rotatable relative to the shaft 69 and is moved into or out of engagement with its corresponding sprocket 1'1, 42 or 51 by a lever '11 provided with a disc 72 that is rigidly screwed to one base of the stud 68.

As the film 18 has a tendency to adhere to the sprocket surface, a stripper '16 is mounted on the upright plate 8 adjacent to the sprockets. The stripper is equipped with a plurality of tongues 77 adapted to engage the sprockets between the film-supporting fianges,

The reels are mounted on a spindle 78 rotatably supported in a bored bracket '79 and driven by a belt 81 that engages a pulley 82 rigidly mounted on one end thereof. The spindle '18 is provided with a slot near its other end wherein a key 83 is slidably held by a pin 84 that, in traversing the shaft 78, engages it in a slot 85. The key 83 is supported on a plurality of springs 86 that yieldingly project it from the slot and enable it to interlock with a key-way provided in the take-up-reel 49.

Centrally located on the spindle is a cylindrical bushing 87 having a T-shape longitudinal section. The stem 88 of the bushing is provided with a notched key 89 that engages the feeding base plate 9 of the machine 1, asshown in Fig- 5. The power from the motor is transmitted, through a pinion 108 fastened to the motor shaft, to a gear wheel 109 located coaxially with the inertia idler 44.

By reason of the fact that it is obviousLv undesirable that the power-driven gear wheel 109 shall coact with the film-driven shaft 45 of the inertia idler, a bushing 111 is disposed between the shaft and the gear wheel, and the former rotates within the bushing while the latter rotates externally thereto. The bushing 111 also serves as a support for a ball bearing 112 whereon the inertia roller 46, associated with the idler 44, is mounted.

The gear wheel 109 transmits a portion of its power to the intermittent movement 14, through a second gear wheel 113 meshing therewith. The

shutter is centrally located on the intermittent cam shaft. A pinion 114, pressed in a cylindrical extension 115 of the first gear wheel 109 and rotating with it, transmits the necessary power to the sprocket shaft 43 through a third gear wheel 116. The pulley 117, through which the reel spindle 78 is driven, is cut integral with the first gear wheel 109.

Although I have shown and described a certain specific embodiment of my invention, 1 am fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as isnecessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Acousto-cinematographicapparatus com- "prising a feeding reel, means for continuously dedelivering a film strip from said reel, a picture gate, means for advancing said film intermittently through said picture gate, a sound gate, means for continuously advancing said film 11.5 through said sound gate, and means for continuously delivering said film to a take-up reel, said continuous film-advancing and film-delivering means being dlsposed'on a single shaft.

3. Acousto-cinematographic apparatus comprising means for storing a film the pictures and records on which are to be projected and reproduced, means for projecting images of the 'pictures impressed on said film, means for subjecting said film to the influence of said projecting means, means for advancing said film to said subjecting means, means for intermittently advancing said film through said subjecting means, means for translating a sound record impressed on said film into sound energy, means for sub- 180 jecting said film to said translating means, means, including an inertial rollerto be motivated solely by the frictional force of the film and film-advancing means, for advancing said film through said last-named subjecting means, means for storing said film after the pictures and records impressed thereon have been projected and reproduced, means for advancing said film, to said storing means, a motor, a gear mounted coaxial with said inertial roller and coupled to said motor to be rotated thereby, another gear .mounted coaxial with said firstnamed gear and secured thereto, means for driving said intermittent film-advancing means coupled to said first-named gear and means for driving said other film-advancing means coupled to said other gear.

4. Acousto-cinematographic apparatus for projecting the image impressed on a film and for reproducing the sound record impresed there- 16 on comprising means for projecting the image impressed on said film, means for intermittently advancing said film through said projecting means, means for translating the sound record impressed on said film, means, including an inertial roller ,to be film-driven and a roller to be power-driven, for advancing said film through said translating means, a motor, a gear mounted coaxial with said inertial roller, and coupled to said motor to be rotated thereby, a second gear mounted coaxial with said first-named gear and secured thereto, means for driving said intermittent advancing means coupled to said firstnamed gear and means for driving said filmadvancing roller coupled to said other gear.

ELLWOOD W. REYNOLDS. 

